The Werewolf Enigma
by Venator77
Summary: The Golden Trio is attacked by Fenrir Greyback while Horcrux hunting and Harry and Hermione get bitten and fall unconscious. When they wake up, they find themselves twenty years in the past. With the challenge of hiding their origin and their "furry little problem" from the school (except Dumbledore and the Marauder's), can Harry and Hermione survive seventh year?(Sporadic Updates)
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: The Golden Trio is attacked by Fenrir Greyback while Horcrux hunting and Harry and Hermione get bitten and fall unconscious. When they wake up, they find themselves twenty years in the past. With the challenge of hiding their origin and their "furry little problem" from the school (except Dumbledore and the Marauder's), can Harry and Hermione survive seventh year?**

 _ **Chapter One**_

Night was falling. Fenrir Greyback, not having transformed yet, sat in the trees, waiting to ambush his next prey. The full moon was only five minutes from being fully up. Then, he spotted them. The famous "Golden Trio" was down below, gathering for edibles. Full moon has risen. Greyback, having experienced many moons, did not make a sound as he morphed into his terrifying form. Jumping down below, he howled at the moon before going on the attack.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron had heard the howl and turned. They were quick to draw out their wands, but unfortunately for Harry, not quick enough. The werewolf charged straight to Harry and knocked him down. Before Harry could point his wand at Greyback, the werewolf bit his hand. Yelling in pain, Harry dropped his wand and quickly shoved the wounded hand in his jacket in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed. Greyback turned on her; Harry tasted terrible and his werewolf mind hoped that the girl would be an improvement. He went after her next. Hermione cast hex after hex at the werewolf, but the tough werewolf hide did its job at absorbing them. Greyback bit her exposed arm. Liking the taste, he moved to rip her apart, but before he could do so, Ron intervened.

"NO! _AGUAMENTI_!" He roared. A powerful blast of water shot out of the end of his wand. The bulk of the water hosed Greyback and hurled him onto a nearby tree. Ron ran back to the tent. Greyback charged at him with one goal; to kill. Ron, using his skills as Gryffindor's Keeper, dived out of the way just in time. The werewolf, unable to stop in time, barged right into the tent and caused it to collapse.

"Bloody hell! Harry! Hermione!" Ron shouted. He found both on the brink of unconsciousness. Seeing that the werewolf was trying to untangle himself from the tent, Ron made haste as he put his friends' wands in their pockets.

"'Mione, are you alright?" Ron said, very worried. Hermione weakly shook her head no. Inwardly groaning, Ron picked her up bridal-style and put her beside Harry, who was struggling to stay conscious. A tearing was heard from the tent, so Ron took both of his friends' unhurt hands.

"You're safe now. Let's get out of here." Ron said as he disapparated with an unconscious Harry and Hermione in tow.

-o0o-

When Harry and Hermione came to, the first thing they noticed is that Ron wasn't anywhere to be found. A bright light shone on their faces, and when their eyes refocused, Harry and Hermoine found themselves in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. Before they could react, Madam Pomfrey came in.

"Good afternoon, dearies. Good to see that you are awake." She said. The school nurse looked much younger than both Harry and Hermione remembered her.

"Thank you. How did we get here?" Hermione asked.

"You two appeared right in the Potions classroom. Gave Professor Slughorn quite a shock there." The school nurse said. "Both of you were in pretty bad shape. Blood loss, bruising, the such. You haven't, by chance, been attacked by a werewolf?"

"Yes we have." Harry said.

"Oh dear. That explains the bites on your right hand and your friend's left arm. I'm afraid you have become werewolves. I must speak with Dumbledore about this." Madam Pomfrey said. At this, Harry and Hermione gaped at the school nurse.

"Dumbledore is alive!?" Harry exclaimed.

"That's impossible! He died last summer." Hermione added, perplexed.

"Dumbledore hasn't died yet. What are you two talking about?" Madam Pomfrey replied.

"Well, from where we came from, Dumbledore was murdered by one of his former students!"

-o0o-

"When Madam Pomfrey returned with Dumbledore, much to the Golden Duo's surprise, the questioning began.

"Who are you?" Dumbledore asked.

"Harry Potter."

"Hermione Granger."

"When have you came from?"

"The fall of 1997." Hermione answered.

"Interesting. Very interesting. It seems like you two traveled back in time. The date is September 1st, 1977." Dumbledore said. Harry and Hermione just sat there gaping.

"What are we going to do? We have nothing but the clothes on our backs and the wands in their pockets." Hermione asked.

"Your basic needs will be attended to. I assume you were seventh years?" Dumbledore said.

"We dropped out of Hogwarts on your orders after 6th year. We were to search and destroy several objects that were of great value to Voldemort." Harry said.

"Well, I'm sure we could stay and chat, but the school train is coming in a few hours. You need background stories." Dumbledore said.

"I can keep my name. I'm a Muggle-born." Hermione said.

"I could pretend to be James's cousin. Our real names would show up on the Marauder's Map anyway." Harry said. Dumbledore chuckled.

"An interesting piece of parchment, I daresay. Well, it's settled then. Harry was the son of Scott Potter before his disappearance. Hermione transferred from the Salem Academy in America." Dumbledore said.

"We were both Gryffindors in our time." Harry said.

"Alright. Freshen up quickly. The train will be here at any moment." Dumbledore concluded before leaving. The train had just pulled in to Hogsmeade when the duo was cleared to leave. They were looking forward to the feast, having not eaten since they got attacked. Harry and Hermione missed the sight of Dumbledore and Hogwarts, and as the rest of the students filed in the Great Hall, the Golden Duo sat down at Gryffindor table. Then, Harry saw them.

It was the Marauders in their glory (well, except Peter) and Lily was behind them as well. Harry looked wistful, so Hermione squeezed his hand reassuringly. To their delight, Lily sat next to Hermione, eyes trained on Dumbledore, while the Marauders sat a bit farther away.

"Hey James! Look! You got a twin!" Harry could hear Sirius Black say.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore announced, beginning his start of the year speech. "There are a few things to get cleared up first. To all first years (as well as a few older students), the Forbidden Forest is off limits. Quidditch trials begin next week. See your house board for more details. In addition to our new first years, I would like to introduce to you Hermione Granger and the cousin of our very own James Potter, Harry Potter!"

The student body clapped politely. Lily looked at the duo and beamed.

"On with the feast!"

Foods of all sorts appeared on the plates. Harry and Hermione wolfed down the food (no pun intended) and went for second, third, and even an astonishing fourth helping.

All good things must come to an end, though. The food soon disappeared and it was time to go to bed. Harry was thankful that a four-poster bed will be waiting for him in Gryffindor Tower. Memories flooded Harry's mind as Lily, who was Head Girl, led the rest of the House to Gryffindor Tower.

"Tempus Fugit." Lily said to the Fat Lady. The painting nodded and opened the door to let the Gryffindors in. Harry rushed past the crowd and got in the 7th year dorm first. Not bothering to cover himself up, he promptly fell asleep.

TBC…

 **A/N: This is the first chapter to my new Harry Potter story. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

Harry woke up early. It was a habit developed during 1997. As he started down the stairs, he heard a yell.

"POTTER!" A girl yelled from the common room. Harry ran downstairs.

"Who's yelling for me?" Harry said. He looked around and saw Lily, looking furious at him.

"James! How many—wait? You aren't James…" Lily started, but caught herself.

"I'm Harry, James's cousin. It's good to…erm…meet you?" Harry said with an amused expression. Lily blushed.

"I'm so sorry! Your cousin is an arrogant prat who does nothing but play pranks and hex the fisrt years just for a laugh." Lily said sheepishly. Harry didn't bother to suppress the grin.

"Sounds like a set of twins I used to know…" Harry said, thinking about Fred and George.

"Did I hear my name called?" James said as he walked casually down the dorm staircase.

"Potter! Pick up these Dungbombs you left in here! I'm astounded on how you got to be chosen as 'Head Boy.'" Lily spat.

"Oh Lilyflower, your scorn burns!" James replied theatrically as he Summoned all of the Dungbombs into a bag. After that, James took a good look at Harry.

"Bloody hell! Sirius was right! You do look like a spitting image of me!" James exclaimed.

"I hope he doesn't have your immaturity." Lily remarked.

"Hey… Those eyes look awfully familiar…" James said thoughtfully.

"Everyone tells me that I have my mother's eyes." Harry said, thinking fast. "She's a muggle, I think."

"That's not quite it… Your mother must've had incredibly green eyes." James replied.

'Please don't put the two and two together.' Harry thought fearfully. Things would get awkward if they did. Thankfully, James shrugged and pulled Harry aside.

"Our handsome features are uncanny. You could be of great use in a few of our future pranks." James said. Lily snorted at the 'handsome' part.

"I don't think Harry would want to take part of your stupid, childish pranks, would you?" Lily said patronizingly.

"Actually, I do. I hadn't had a laugh since I ran away from my last orphanage." Harry said. James gave a triumphant laugh while Lily groaned.

"Now I have to deal with two Potters." Lily complained as she left the common room. James gave another chuckle and turned to Harry.

"Harry, would you like to meet my friends Sirius, Remus, and Peter later?" James asked.

"Breakfast, maybe?"

"Sure."

-o0o-

Harry cornered Hermione after she came down from the girls dorm.

" 'Mione, do you have your moleskin pouch?" He asked.

"Oh!" Hermione said. "How could I have forgotten!?"

She took out the pouch. She opened and found the Invisibility Cloak, the Marauder's Map, and a few other essential things inside.

"We have the Cloak, the Map, and a few other things." She said.

"Good." Harry replied as they went down to breakfast. Once they reached the Great Hall, the Marauders waved Harry over.

"I'll see you later 'Mione." Harry said as he went over to the four pranksters.

"Hello, cuz. I introduce to you Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew." James said. All three of them waved at harry. Feeling mischievous, Harry decided to play a joke on Sirius.

"You can't be Sirius." Harry said, pointing to him.

"I am. That's who I am." Sirius said.

"If you were serious, then you wouldn't be friends with james and Remus and Peter." Harry replied.

"But I am Sirius!"

"No you are not. You play jokes all the time instead of working like Lily and Remus." Harry said.

The other three Marauders were laughing.

"He got you there." James said.

"I guess he "Siriusly" wants you to stop using your "Sirius" jokes." Remus said with a smile.

"I'll get back at you." Sirius said to Harry, who smiled as he ate a crumpet. Soon, breakfast was over and before Harry started to leave, Professor McGonagall stopped him.

"Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore would like to see you in his office. James, Lily, I think you should go with them, as Head Boy and Head Girl." The professor said.

"On it, Minnie." James said, standing up. McGonagall bristled at the name and handed Lily a slip of parchment before departing. Lily led the group of four to the Headmaster's office, with the Golden Duo amused by James's attempts at flirting with her.

"Sugar Quills." Lily said as they reached the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office. The gargoyle stood aside and allowed the four inside. Dumbledore sat at his desk in front of the paintings of the former Heads.

"Good morning to you four. I hope you enjoyed your breakfast?" Dumbledore said.

"Yes we have." Hermione replied.

"Good. James, Lily, I have important information and instructions that must be followed and not be repeated to anyone else. This is to be kept at utmost secrecy." Dumbledore said gravely.

"Fire away, Headmaster. What's going on?" James said, getting a bit more business-like.

"Harry and Hermione had an unfortunate encounter with a werewolf. A seven o'clock on every full moon, I want you both to take Harry and Hermione to the secret passage that leads to the Shrieking Shack. At eight in the morning, you must retrieve them and take them to the Hospital Wing."

Lily let out a small gasp and looked at the Golden Duo with pity. James just shook his head.

"Well, at least Remus will have some company in the Shrieking Shack." He said.

"Harry, Hermione, you will be put in the same classes as the Heads. Here are your schedules." Dumbledore said, handing the four students their timetables. "And the dates of the next full moons are listed at the back."

"Well, Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins first." James commented. "This may be interesting."

"Let's go! We don't want to be late!" Lily said. The four hurried out of Dumbledore's office. They arrived just in time and took the last four unfilled seats. To Lily's dismay, James parked himself right next to her. Harry looked around and saw Snape sitting next to Mulciber. Snape noticed and gave Harry a dirty look. Apparently, Snape still had a hatred for anyone with the last name Potter. The Defence Professor came in to the front.

"Hello students! I am your new DADA professor, Ernst Rick-Richard. Well, due to the previous years of this class having been disrupted with so many teachers expended, we'll be review some material from last year before learning something new." He said. "For our first lesson of the day, we shall go over the Patronus Charm. Would anyone like to remind us what it is?"

Lily, Hermione, and Remus raised their hands.

"Miss…?" Professor Rick-Richard pointed to Hermione.

"Granger, sir. The Patronus Charm is a spell that repells dementors and used to send voice messages over small distances." Hermione answered.

"Very good answer! Gryffindor awarded ten points." Rick-Richard said. "Wands out. We are going to practice."

A murmur of excitement and approval was heard as everyone stood up. Professor Rick-Richard Vanished the furniture, leaving a wide open space. Harry stood shell-shocked with fear.

"'Mione, what am I going to do?" He whispered into his best friend's ear. "I can't just produce a Patronus. James will know what's up."

"Pretend that you can't do it right. If you produce mist, then they won't know." Hermione answered.

"Thanks. I'll try."

The students took various spots and the incantations were said. There were several that produced mist, while others succeeded in making a corpeal Patronus. When Lily produced her Patronus, a doe, James made a stag, much to her annoyance. Soon, class was ending and it was time to be given homework.

"There were some great Patronuses out there. For homework, I want a three-quarter foot essay on how to send a voice message by Patronus, due on Friday." The Professor said. Once class was let out, the seventh years talked about how good a teacher Rick-Richards was. The rest of the day went without incident, apart from Lily accidentally on purpose set Jame's hair on fire during Charms class. After dinner, Harry took Hermione to the Room of Requirement. Making sure no one followed them and that his instructions to the Room were explicit, Harry took out a piece of parchment.

"Hermione, we need a game plan. Now that we are in the past, we have all the time in the world to search for Horcruxes." Harry said. "Give me a moment."

Harry gave the parchment to Hermione and went into the junk piled in the Room of Requirement. Five minutes later, he returned with Ravenclaw's diadem.

"Alright. We got one Horcrux. The basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets is alive. We should be able to kill it and use a fang to destroy the diadem." Harry said.

"I've made the list of what we should do." Hermione said. Harry looked through the list.

"Let's see… Destroy all Horcruxes, get James and Lily together, prevent Peter from becoming the Potter's Secret Keeper, and find a secure place for our monthly transformations." Harry read off. "Perhaps the Shrieking Shack is secure enough. I'm not so sure. We will have to go camping again for the rest of the Horcruxes, and the rest will require some brilliant talking."

"True. So what are we going to do with the diadem?" Hermione asked.

"We'll leave it alone for now. Keep it in you moleskin pouch." Harry said. "When is our next scheduled full moon?"

"September 4th. Two days." Hermione said.

"We should probably read up on werewolves now that we are part of that group." Harry said. Hermione nodded before the Golden Duo left the Room of Requirement to the common room.

TBC…

 **A/N: Here's chapter two of the story. I'm thinking of making this a Dumbledore bashing sort of story. Review on your opinion and I'll see if I'll do it or not.**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three**_

September the 4th arrived, much to Harry's and Hermione's dread. They already started to feel the effects of lycanthropy; their skin was deathly pale and dark bags appeared under their eyes. Remus looked the same thing and all three felt extremely sluggish. They stayed away from the magical creatures in Care of Magical Creatures, didn't bother to transfigure their water to wine in Transfiguration, fell asleep in History of Magic (to Hermione's surprise), and narrowly averted a catastrophe in Potions. After class ended, Professor Slughorn held the three werewolves back.

"What's going on with you three? You nearly put gillyweed in your Fire Extinguishing Potion. You could have blown yourselves up." Slughorn chasitised.

"It's that time of the month, Professor." Remus said. "Surely you knew that."

Slughorn froze for a second. All staff members knew about Remus's 'furry little problem.'

"Come into my office for a moment."

Harry, Hermione, and Remus went inside. The Potions Professor closed the door behind them.

"So you two are also werewolves?" Slughorn asked Harry and Hermione. They both nodded.

"How unfortunate. I will not dock points today, but I'm an old man and my mind wasn't as sharp as it used to be. I do not carry a lunar chart with me, so remind me when the next moon comes. But if you three cause another near miss or disaster, points will be taken. Understand?"

The three nodded.

"Good. Now go enjoy the rest of your day. Expect invites to my next Slug Club party a fortnight from now." Slughorn said as he released the three. Harry and Hermione gave each other amused looks. Once they returned to the common room (which was, thankfully, empty), Remus immediately cornered them.

"So you are werewolves?" Remus demanded.

"Unfortunately, that is correct." Hermione said. "You are too?"

"Yes. I was bitten by Greyback when I was young." Remus said sadly.

"We were attacked by Greyback while we were on a camping trip." Harry said. "This is our first transformation."

Remus winced.

"Good luck. It hurts a lot."

"That's what we are worried about."

Then, James and Lily came in.

"Alright, you three. It's time to go." Lily said, looking at the werewolves with pity.

"Harry, Hermione, since this is your first time, you have to bring a change of clothes with you if you don't want to return to the castle without a stitch on you." James said, smirking. Lily hit him on the back of the head. The Golden Duo blushed.

"Well…About that…" Harry started.

"We only came with our wands and the clothes on our backs." Hermione said sheepishly.

"Not to worry. I have some spare robes I'm willing to donate. I'm willing to bet that Evans would lend some of her knickers to Hermione." James continued, earning another slap on the back of the head from Lily. Harry buried his hands in his face, deeply embarrassed.

"And you wonder why Lily won't go out with you." Remus said.

"Enough of the dirty talk, Potter. We have to go." Lily barked.

"You take them. I'll catch up." James said before going up the boys staircase. Lily sighs before leading the three down the stairs and into the hallway. They were halfway to the secret passage when James caught up, carrying a bunch of clothes.

"Here you go Harry." James said, giving Harry a clean set of old school robes. He gave the rest to Remus.

"Evans, I'll take over. Go get a change of clothes for Hermione." James said. Lily gave him a glare before leaving.

"Sirius, Peter, you can come out now." James said. Both appeared out of nowhere, They were hiding under the Invisibility Cloak.

"So our two new friends are also werewolves?" Sirius said.

"Yep. In we go." James said. Sirius and Peter transformed into their Animagus forms and entered the passage. Peter went ahead and froze the Whomping Willow, allowing them through. Sirius curled up on the old bed in the Shrieking Shack and Peter hid inside a mouse hole. Lily returned and gave Hermione a change of clothes.

"C'mon, Potter. It's five before full moon." Lily said stiffly. James quickly snatched his Cloak and the Heads left. James appeared from under the Cloak a couple of minutes later.

"Thank Merlin she didn't notice me disappear under the Cloak." James said, putting the Cloak on a shelf before transfoming into his stag form. Harry, Hermione, and Remus sat on the dirty floor and waited. Then, full moon struck.

It was agonizing for Harry and Hermione. They screamed and thrashed and groaned as their faces morphed into snouts, their limbs to paws, their nails to claws, and their skin to fur. Remus, having suffered through more moons, was quieter, but not by much. Finally, the two minutes of agony was over and Harry, Hermione, and Remus, now in their werewolf forms, lay down to recuperate. Peter came out of the mouse hole and Sirius moved his paws from his eyes. Apparently, he didn't like watching the transformations. After a minute, the pain of transformation subsided and the three werewolves stood up. They roamed the Shack while Sirius swept away the tatters that remain with his paws. Soon, the three Animagi followed the werewolves out of the Shack and into the grounds. They went into the Forbidden Forest, where they raced, chased and frolicked amongst the trees. It was the best full moon for the Marauders and the Golden Duo.

-o0o-

The werewolves and their Animagi companions returned to the Shrieking Shack thirty minutes to dawn. Once inside, the werewolves curled up on the floor and took a nap. The Animagi waited for the sun to come up. At last, the moon had set and Harry, Hermione, and Remus morphed back into their human form. They woke up stiff. The first thing Harry saw was Hermione's naked body. His mind ceased to function as his eyes roamed. Her body was fairly proportioned and virtually unblemished. Harry knew Ginny was out the window. For Merlin's sake she wouldn't be born for another four years!

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, quickly taking her change of clothes and hiding behind an old curtain. James snickered.

"Sorry! I couldn't help it!" Harry said, blushing all sorts of red.

"Y'know, Harry. Hermione was checking you out too." Sirius said. Realizing that he too was stark naked, Harry blushed again and went to put on his change of clothes. The Marauders, except Remus, made their leave under the Invisibility Cloak. Lily called from the passage.

"Harry? Hermione? Remus? Come out!" She said. "Do hurry. I can only keep the Whomping Willow frozen for a short amount of time."

Harry, Hermione and Remus came out, clothed, and the four hurried away from the Willow, was started to move.

-o0o-

The walk to the Hospital Wing was somewhat awkward. Harry and Hermione avoided looking at each other in the eye. Once they reached the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey ushered the werewolves to bed, who realized they were extremely tired. After consuming some Dreamless Sleep potions, the three were fast asleep.

Meanwhile, James and Sirius were plotting their next prank.

"Let's target Filch. He's been pretty nasty a few days ago to those ickle firsties." Sirius said.

"I agree. What should we do?" James asked.

"I have a suggestion." Peter said. "Perhaps we can use Peeves as part of our prank."

James and Sirius looked at each other with calculating expressions.

"Peter, that's brilliant! This should be good." James said.

"We should find him first." Sirius said.

"Let's see…'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.'" James said, taking out the Marauder's Map. After a quick scan, they found him.

"He's bouncing around in the trophy room. Let's go." James said. "'Mischief managed!'"

The Map went blank as James pocketed it. The three Marauders rushed to the trophy room, hoping that Peeves would still be there by the time they reach it…

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four**_

"Oi! Peeves!" James shouted in the trophy room. The poltergeist prankster stopped bouncing around and turned to James.

"I wasn't doing anything, Mr. Head Boy, sir! Well, not yet." Peeves said with a joke.

"We need you in a prank." James replied. Peeves lit up and grinned evilly.

"Anything, Mr. Head Boy sir." Peeves said.

"We need you to ransack, Filch's office. When he comes, we'll stun him and hang him by his ankles on those well-polished shackles of his. Gives him a taste of his own medicine, no doubt." James said.

"Right'o!" Peeves said as he disappeared through the walls. The Marauders went under the Invisibility Cloak and rushed to Filch's office.

To the three's delight, the office was in complete pandemonium. Peeves was throwing all sorts of objects around as well as papers and Filch was trying to hit Peeves with a mop. Sirius drew his wand.

" _Stupefy._ " He muttered. The curse hit Filch, stunning him instantly. Peeves made a quick exit, his part completed. James and Sirius lifted the squib off the ground and turned him inverted. Peter locked the caretaker's ankles in the hanging shackles, allowing James and Sirius to let go.

"That went well. Let's get out of here." James said. The other two nodded and they three Marauders left. They didn't want to stay any longer, lest Filch wakes up.

-o0o-

The weekend arrived at last and the three werewolves woke up from their dreamless sleep, rested and fresh. After Madam Pomfrey released them from the Hospital Wing, Lily pulled the Golden Duo into an empty classroom.

"How was it?" Lily asked. Harry pointed his wand at the door.

" _Muffilato_." He muttered. "The transformation was painful. I remember what I did in my werewolf form, but I had no control."

"Remus was a good companion. We played together like three little carefree puppies." Hermione added. Lily gave a small smile.

"Sounds like a pair of idiots I know…" She said.

"I hope things go for the better. If I remember correctly, Umbitch is still in power as Head of the Control of Magical Creatures." Harry said bitterly. "Stupid toad."

Lily nodded, looking incensed.

"She hates Muggleborns as much as 'creatures.'" Lily said.

"Pity me then. I'm a Muggleborn werewolf." Hermione growled.

"Say… What if Umbitch had a run in with a werewolf during full moon?" Harry said, grinning wolfishly. "She'll become the very thing she hated the most."

Hermione and Lily looked at Harry in shock.

"Harry! Why would you say something like that?" Hermione exclaimed.

"You can get executed for that!" Lily added.

"But she deserves it! She won't be able to hold a Ministry job once she's bitten." Harry whined.

"What if you ripped her apart? You will get killed for sure!" Hermione protested.

"I doubt she'll taste good." Harry muttered.

"Harry, listen to yourself! You sound like Fenrir Greyback! I don't want you to become like him, especially after what he did to us!" Hermione cried. "Please!"

Harry stopped to think. Hermione was right. He was sounding a bit too Fenrir-like.

"Perhaps we can get Fenrir himself to get Umbitch." Harry suggested. "He hates her too."

"But how do you know he won't kill us?" Hermione said.

"Because he'll know that we were his victims." Harry said.

"Harry's right." Lily said, watching the argument with a mixture of fear, anger, and determination. "I believe Umbridge should get what's coming. I can't believe you're against this. You are doubly disadvantaged to her because of your origins."

"But…" Hermione started.

"Besides, Fenrir hasn't joined up with You-Know-Who yet. From what I heard, all he's doing is to maintain his pack and care and raise the pack's children to be like him." Lily interjected.

"Fenrir? Caring?' Harry snorted. "I've heard enough."

Suddenly, James opened the door. Harry swore he saw a flicker of disappointment before the usual mischievous look returned.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He drawled.

"Nothing. Just talking about our furry little problem." Harry interrupted. "And I saw that look on your face. You hoped to catch a couple shagging, weren't you?"

"Well…" James start, but Harry interrupted again.

"The only way you will be shagging Lily in reality is love potion or the Imperious. And I'm willing to bet that Lily is bright enough to detect a love potion and have a bezoar at hand. And as for the Imperious… Well, you know. Stick to your dreams. And most important of all, stop talking in your sleep. It's disturbing to hear your shagging Lily in your head."

Lily blushed in embarrassment and anger, but before she could start raging, Hermione stopped her.

"Don't." She said. James, on the other hand, blaunched.

"Y-You heard that?" He sputtered. Harry was grinning like mad.

"Every moan, groan, and other dirty noises that were heard are in my memory as well as our dormmates' memories. Lucky they fear you enough not to say anything." Harry replied. James stood there gaping while Lily looked shocked. Hermione had to again stop her from raging.

"Lily, a man can dream. Let him have it." Hermione said.

"Filch is hanging by his ankles on those shackles he loves so much." James said, recomposing himself. Lily sighed.

"Just go let him down." She said quietly. It was James's turn to grin broadly.

"I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon." James said. "I got to protect the ickle firsties."

"Since when you decided to do that?" Lily asked, bemused.

"I can easily take it back, you know. I do need to work on my target practice." James said deftly.

"No! Please don't. If you want target practice, do it on Snivellus." Lily said with a sneer.

"Wonderful idea, Evans. Now if you will excuse me…" James said before exiting. Lily then made a move to leave as well, but Hermione held her back.

"Explain why you too have dirty dreams about James." Hermione said. Lily blushed and started to spout an excuse but Hermione stopped her.

"You talk in your sleep like James. If I were you, I'd put up some Silencing Charms up around the bed so that you aren't heard by everyone else. You weren't told because they like you too much to tease you." Hermione said. "I remember the night before full moon was you licking melted chocolate off of James's six pack."

Lily blush was as red as her hair.

"Please don't tell James. I'll never hear the end of it if he finds out." Lily mumbled.

"I'll stay quiet. Now how about we go to the library? We have to leave school with the knowledge on how to defend ourselves against the Death Eaters." Hermione said.

"I never heard another girl suggest that we go to the library." Lily quipped.

"Our generation is all about boys and gossip." Hermione replied. "Not enough learning."

"Too true. We smart people should stick together." Lily declared as both of them headed for the library. After they were out, James suddenly appeared from under his Invisibility Cloak, with a Cheshire grin on his face.

'So Lily thinks I'm hot?' He thought gleefully. 'I can already imagine the dirty dreams she has about me.

'But I must tread carefully and plan this right. This is our last year and I can't afford to mess up again.'

-o0o-

After dinner, James went to find Harry. He found him in the common room, with Lily and a few other students around.

"Cuz, I need to speak to you in private." He said urgently. Lily immediately grew suspicious and shot the boys a glare, which gone unnoticed.

"Alright." Harry replied. James led him up to the 7th year dorm. Lily, making sure nobody was looking, disillusioned herself and followed them up.

'What are you up to?' She thought.

"Harry, I need your help. This is our last year at Hogwarts and I'm running out of time. Have I told you that I've been in love with Lily since the third year?" James said. Harry shook his head no.

"Alright. For years I've been trying to get Lily to go out with me to Hogsmeade. Every single time I've asked, she says no. I remember one particular incident in the 5th year in which she hexed me, slapped me in the face, and broke my glasses before saying no." James explained, wincing.

"How have you asked her?" Harry asked.

"With the confidence that no normal boy would be able to muster."

"I think I know what you are doing wrong…"

-o0o-

Lily was stunned. James was asking for advice on how to ask girls out. As far as she knew, the only advice he took was during his plans to prank with Sirius. Perhaps Sirius was a bad influence? Lily strained to hear more, interested in this conversation.

"Think about the way you asked her the previous times from her point of view." Lily heard Harry say. "Ask the question out loud and think about how it sounded."

"Okay. 'Evans! You and me Hogsmeade?'" James said, looking at her direction. Lily's heart stopped and she looked at herself, still disillusioned. Relieved, she moved aside so that she wasn't in the doorway.

"Listen to yourself." Harry said patiently. "You sound like and arrogant and egotistical toe rag."

'Couldn't have said it better than myself.' Lily thought with a smile.

"Then how should I do it? My charm seemed to work on all the other girls." James said as Lily rolled her eyes.

"You should ask nicely." Harry said. "Like this: 'Lily, would you allow me to accompany you to Hogsmeade this Saturday?'"

'Yes, I would.' Lily thought, giving herself a silent laugh.

"I guess that sounds nicer than my way." James admitted.

"That's not all, though." Harry continued. "Your past actions left a bad impression of you on Lily. She doesn't like you hexing people in the hallways because you were bored. She doesn't like the way you act at every mealtime, break, and evenings. In simpler terms, she wants you to grow up and act seventeen, not seven."

Lily couldn't fault Harry's logic. She had told James for years to grow up, only her requests fell on deaf ears. Maybe it was Sirius's fault again?

"Maturity includes not making lewd comments to Lily and other girls, not getting caught when pulling pranks, and keeping your arrogance and ego in check." Harry finished. For a moment, Lily dared not to breathe. The silence was deafening.

"So I can still pull pranks?" James asked finally.

"As long as nobody knows who did it." Harry said. "But they still would suspect you anyways."

"Alright. I'll do it. I'm shall grow up!" James declared. Lily couldn't believe her ears. Is Potter finally growing up? She was still wary about James because she doesn't trust him. Lily decided to adopt a 'wait-and-see' plan. If James steps out of line, then he can forget it.

"Just remember, cousin. This takes time to develop. Be nice to the younger students, be civil to the Slytherins, keep up with your work, and think before you act or speak. If everything goes right, then Lily might like you enough to let you go on a date with her." Harry warned.

"Thank you, Harry." James said. Lily smiled as she came down the staircase, still disillusioned and hopeful that James will be true to his word.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five**_

Over the next few days, Lily and Hermione searched the school library for battle spells that can be useful in the fight against Voldemort. So far, they haven't found any books on them.

"I don't think that there is a book on battle spells." Lily sighed.

"Perhaps it is in the Restricted Section?" Hermione said slowly. "We could ask Professor Rick-Richards to find it."

"But he might decline." Lily said.

"We'll just have to see about that." Hermione said. "We do have DADA next."

Lily nodded thoughtfully and the two brightest witches of their age left the library and headed to class. As usual, Professor Rick-Richards entered once the class settled down.

"Good afternoon. Today is a very special day. I have constructed several training dummies for us to use for today's assignment. Today, we will be using Patronuses to knock these dummies down. One dummy should be sufficient for each of us." The professor said. Hermione heard Harry groan as the class stood up and took out their wands.

"Hey Professor! Watch me knock down a dummy!" James shouted. " _Expecto Patronum!"_

His stag Patronus leaped out from the end of his wand and charged straight at Snape. The greasy-haired Slytherin took two steps back in surprise and tripped on a loose floorboard. He fell, to the amusement of the Gryffindors.

"5 points from Gryffindor." The defense professor said. "I do not tolerate bullying."

James smirked at Lily, who rolled her eyes.

"Admit it, Evans. You enjoyed as much as I did." James drawled.

"I'm staying out of this." Lily replied. "It would be much better for you to act like a young man instead of a young child."

James shrugged and turned to Harry.

"Dear cousin, I never got the pleasure to meet your Patronus. Would you do us the honors?" James said.

"I'd rather not." Harry said nervously.

"C'mon Harry! You can do it! I promise me and Sirius won't laugh." James urged. He gave a look at Sirius, telling him to behave.

"Fine!" Harry groaned. " _Expecto Patronum_!"

A silver lupine creature came out, much to Harry's and Hermione's surprise. The thing charged at a dummy, successfully knocking it down before disappearing.

"Very interesting." Professor Rick-Richards said. "A werewolf Patronus. The last time I saw one of these was in Sweden a few years back. It belonged to Sven Di Vita Jensen. Head of the Swedish DMLE."

Class continued as usual before it was time to go. The rest of the day went by quickly as James took Harry's advice to heart and started assisting the younger students.

"James, meet me in the 7th floor corridor between Dumbledore's office and the tapestry at the top of the stairs. I have something interesting to show you. Seven o'clock should do." Harry said after Charms.

"Alright." James said before joining up with the rest of the Marauders. Hermione arrived just as James was out of earshot.

"Harry, I have something important to tell you. Let's go to the Room of Requirement." She said. Slightly taken aback, Harry nodded and followed Hermione to the Room.

'We need a place to speak in private. We need a place to speak in private.' Hermione thought. The door appeared and Hermione dragged Harry in.

"What's on your mind?" Harry asked. Hermione was pacing back and forth, looking extremely nervous and unsure of herself.

"Well… I'm not sure how to put this…" Hermione said. "My feelings are conflicted…"

"Meaning?" Harry asked, intrigued.

"Well… I've liked Ron since the fifth year, but ever since we got sent back in time, I fell in love with someone else." Hermione said slowly.

"Wait? Of all people you fell in love with, you fell in love with Ron?" Harry said in disbelief. "But you argue and bicker all the time."

"Like an old married couple?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded sheepishly.

"So who's the lucky person to catch your eyes and brains?" Harry asked, looking smug.

"You."

The smug expression was immediately replaced by surprise and confusion.

"Me?"

"Yes you. Remember all of our adventures in Hogwarts? The troll? The time I was petrified? Rescuing Sirius? The Department of Mysteries? We were there for each other. Ron? Not so much. I realized that he is an insufferable, stupid, and disgusting idiot. Had I decided to marry him, I would've divorced him after a few years." Hermione said.

"I agree. Maybe he's going to live in a pigsty." Harry said.

"Have you seen his table manners? And can't he go a day without calling me an insufferable know-it-all?" Hermione said.

"Would you like to be my know-it-all?" Harry asked, grinning widely.

"Yes!" Hermione said. "Now shut up and kiss me!"

And with that, Hermione pulled Harry's collar and kissed him passionately. Harry returned the favor and after a while, they broke apart.

"Well, 'Mione. I would like to continue, but I'm expecting James to arrive in a few minutes." Harry said.

"What are you two up to?" Hermione asked, grinning. "Pranks? Quidditch?"

Harry smirked and leaned closer.

"I'm working on getting him together with Lily." Harry said. "I still want to be born."

"You're a sneaky devil, you know." Hermione said, giggling.

"I'm also going to teach him some battle spells. There should be some in this room." Harry continued. Hermione gave him a quick kiss.

"I'm definitely rubbing on you. She quipped before they exited. Harry hung back as his new girlfriend went off to Gryffindor Tower. A few minutes later, James arrived at the pre-determined rendezvous.

"Well, Harry. I'm here." James said. Harry turned to the door, which was still there.

"Let's go inside, shall we?" Harry said.

"Woah! What is this place?" James said with an awed tone.

"This is the Room of Requirement. It is a special room that changes to fit your needs. For example, say you wanted to blow off some steam by destroying things. This room will provide you with targets for you to destroy with impunity and may also change size when needed. Because of this magic, the Room doesn't show up on the Marauder's Map. The map can't handle the constant shape shifting." Harry said.

"That's so cool! How do you ask it?" James said.

"You must think your needs like 'I need a place to shag a girl' for when you have a girlfriend. Mind you that requirements must be specific or else someone will barge in and catch you in a compromising position." Harry said. James gave a wide grin.

"A place to plan pranks and shag girls without getting disturbed… Not bad." He said.

"Remember your manners, cousin, or Sirius will steal all the girls. How do you know he won't steal Lily?" Harry asked.

"He won't. I threatened to hex him into next week if he tried." James growled.

"Despite your good taste in girls, they aren't a possession like house elves. Remember that and Lily might go out with you." Harry said.

"Who wouldn't want to go out with a smart and talented witch?" James asked.

"I don't know. That's why I got together with one." Harry asked.

"You asked Lily? But I knew her longer and I wanted to ask her out properly!" James protested. Harry laughed.

"No, you idiot. I'm going out with Hermione." Harry said. "She's just as clever as Lily, if not cleverer."

"We'll see about that." James said. "My own cousin hasn't been here a week and he already has a girlfriend."

"Yeah, but with Voldemort running around, I think now it's time to learn some battle spells." Harry replied.

"Battle spells?"

"Yep. Voldemort won't know what hit him. Let's begin, shall we?"

"We shall."

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six**_

Harry leafed through one of the books on battle spells until one caught his eye.

"Here's an interesting one. The Piercing Curse. The incantation is _'Lancea'_ and it is a useful, although unknown spell used to break through Protegoes and it pierces right through anything. One of these spells in the right place causes instant death. The curious thing is that unlike most spells like the Killing Curse or Expelliarmus, the Piercing Curse does not have a visible beam." Harry said. He conjured a wooden man as a target.

" _Lancea!_ " Harry said, pointing to the target. A second later, the wooden target was hit right at the heart and fell down. Harry went to the target and picked it up. It had a neat hole right where it hit. James shuddered.

"A Lancea there would have definitely resulted in death. We should make sure that these Death Eaters will pay for joining that nutter half-blood." Harry said.

"Merlin… That's scary." James said. "But if it wins us the war… then I'll do it."

"Dumbledore's belief on 'everyone deserves a second chance' is complete rubbish. There is a reason why the Unforgivables are just that. Unforgivable!" Harry said. "The only good Death Eater is a dead one."

"Yeah… You're right. This would be a sick prank on Dumbles to find out that no one is listening to him and that the Death Eaters are being rightfully put in their place." James growled.

"Did I ever tell you that Voldemort is a half-blood bastard named Tom Marvolo Riddle?" Harry asked. James looked at Harry in shock.

"I don't think so." James said. "That's another sick prank on his followers."

"Yep. Why do you think Voldemort is able to do this? So he can have the money." Harry said.

"Merlin… Well we better keep practicing." James said. Harry nodded as he fired another Lancea at a dummy.

-o0o-

Lily and Hermione walked through the seventh floor corridor to the Room of Requirement. They entered to find James and Harry using the fire whip spell against the dummies.

"Potter! What are you doing?!" Lily shouted in surprise. James glanced at her direction and gave his best smile.

"Practicing our battle spells. Moldyshorts and his Death Snackers, contrary to Dumbledore's belief, should not be allowed to live." James said. Lily couldn't help but laugh at the names James came up with.

"Would you like to join us?" Harry said. "The Room holds a lot of books on battle spells."

"Where are they?" Hermione asked looking around. Harry came in and kissed her.

"I understand that you can't help yourself, love, but let me teach you some spells before moving on to the books. It'll be just like the DA." Harry said. "We still have a couple of hours before curfew."

Hermione punched Harry's shoulder lightly, giving him a look of mock-hurt. Lily was mildly shocked.

"You two are dating?" She asked.

"Yep. We Potter men have good taste in women, isn't that right James?" Harry said, looking at him.

"You got that right, dear cousin." James said. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please." She said.

"It's not our fault that we prefer the smart and beautiful Muggleborns compared to the girls Sirius always goes out with." Harry said. "I wouldn't be surprised if some of those girls lost their virtue before the fifth year."

Hermione and Lily blushed. They couldn't fault the logic in that.

"Now, let us begin with the Explosive Jinx…"

-o0o-

Time has passed quickly for Harry and Hermione. Lily and the Marauders (sans Peter, who Harry didn't want invited) made improvements to their battle spells and James was maturing into a caring person and a good leader. Soon it was time for Christmas and the Golden Duo didn't know what to do.

"Harry, Hermione, you should come over to Potter Manor. Mum and Dad can't wait to see you." James said.

"I don't know… Full moon is on Boxing Day." Harry said.

"Aw come on! Don't you want to meet your Uncle Charlus and Aunt Dorea?" James said.

"Well, if they can fix up a place for us to transform, then sure." Harry said.

"We have a forest around the property that you two can run in. Sirius and I will keep you company." James said.

"Thank you." Hermione said. The Marauders and the Golden Duo stepped on the train from Hogsmeade Station. Peter, Harry noticed, seemed more distant than ever. Harry's suspicions went up until he couldn't help himself.

"Peter, could you raise your right sleeve please?" Harry asked. He noticed Hermione's face harden and the other Marauders looking intrigued. Peter, on the other hand, blanched.

"Why?" He squeaked.

"You have been distant for the past few months. Don't worry. I'm sure you have nothing to hide." Harry replied.

"I don't." Peter said, not moving at all.

"Then raised your sleeve."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because it's cold in here."

Harry frowned. James, Sirius, and Remus started to get suspicious.

"C'mon, Wormtail. I'm sure it's nothing." James said.

"Are you afraid that you have an embarrassing birthmark?" Sirius teased.

"I can smell the fear off of him." Remus said. "And I don't think it's a birthmark."

Hermione's hand shot out suddenly and grabbed Peter's right sleeve. She pulled it up, revealing the Dark Mark tattoo on his forearm. James, Sirius, and Remus glared at Peter, betrayed by a close friend.

"When?" James growled.

"Last summer. The Dark Lord captured me and told me join or die." Peter said meekly.

"What did you do?" Sirius hissed. All wands were now pointed at the former Marauder.

"I didn't do anything! He just gave me the Dark Mark and that's it." Peter cried.

"Liar." Sirius replied angrily. "You have to do an act of unspeakable evil in order for Voldemort to give that abomination. Don't say otherwise. I know. Regulus wanted to be a Death Eater too."

Peter shrank back in his seat even further, unable or unwilling to speak.

"Maybe he should work for our target practice in battle spells." Harry said, giving a feral grin.

"Okay! Okay!" Peter shouted, cracking under the pressure. "I raped Erin Zargas before killing her!"

The Marauders gasped. Erin was a sixth year Muggleborn Gryffindor who disappeared over the summer. To learn what Peter did to her…

"Get out." James said coldly. "Get out now! We don't want to see you ever again!"

Peter wasted no time in getting out. After the compartment door closed, James took out the Marauder's Map.

"I, Mr. Prongs, leader of the Marauders, hearby expel Mr. Wormtail for treason against the group and the Light." He said, pointing his wand at the map. The title of the map showed the four nicknames briefly before Wormtail's disappeared, leaving Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs.

"How did you know?" Remus asked Hermione. She huffed in frustration.

"When I met him, I knew he couldn't be trusted. I was right. Bloody coward." Hermione said. "I hope that is the only copy of the Marauder's Map you are holding James."

"It is." James said.

"Good. Starting in the New Year, we're going to make Peter's life hell." Harry growled. "Sirius, I hope you stun Peter and shove him with us during full moon. I have no qualms on ripping him apart."

Hermione elbowed Harry's side, giving him a disapproving look.

"Sorry, love." He said, giving a quick peck in the cheek. Hermione smiled and rested her head on Harry's shoulder. Sirius grumbled something about not getting Hermione first before Harry.

"What was that?" Harry said. "You want to shag Hermione against the wall like you do with every other girl in this school and drop her once you're done? I don't think so. She's too smart for that."

Everyone in the compartment laughed as Sirius sunk lower in his seat, still grumbling.

TBC…


End file.
